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Cardinals STL

202668–70 (0.493)
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President of baseball ops: Chaim Bloom · GM: Mike Girsch · partial season

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 2026, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$54M
Surplus $M
+84
Win %
0.493
TAB
+8.4
WAB
+10.1
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
29.4
Dead money %
53%
Depth Players
7.0
Dead WAR
-3.4
Farm System
Total Proj. WAR
66.1
Pitching Proj. WAR
32.3
Hitting Proj. WAR
33.8

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

2026 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

RPedro Pagés72
RIván Herrera48
LJimmy Crooks46
RYohel Pozo⇄11

1B

LAlec Burleson133
Blaze Jordan10
RPedro Pagés3
RRamón Urías2
RIván Herrera1
RJosé Fermín1
RYohel Pozo⇄1

2B

LJJ Wetherholt122
RJosé Fermín12
Bryan Torres8
RRamón Urías5
RThomas Saggese3
LCésar Prieto1

3B

Blaze Jordan52
LNolan Gorman51
RJosé Fermín30
RRamón Urías23
LCésar Prieto7
RThomas Saggese5
Bryan Torres3

SS

RMasyn Winn121
LJJ Wetherholt12
RThomas Saggese9
RJosé Fermín5
LCésar Prieto2
RRamón Urías2

LF

RJosé Fermín38
LNathan Church36
Bryan Torres29
RThomas Saggese15
Joshua Báez13
REverson Pereira⇄5

CF

LNathan Church85
LVictor Scott II60
RJosé Fermín22
REverson Pereira⇄6
LLars Nootbaar⇄6
Bryan Torres1

RF

RJordan Walker127
LLars Nootbaar⇄7
LNathan Church3
RJosé Fermín3
RNelson Velázquez⇄3
Joshua Báez2

DH

RIván Herrera89
LNolan Gorman16
RNelson Velázquez⇄9
RJordan Walker7
Bryan Torres7
RYohel Pozo⇄6
LJimmy Crooks5
LAlec Burleson3
RJosé Fermín2
RThomas Saggese2
LVictor Scott II1

Starters

RDustin May⇄2.6 WAR
RAndre Pallante2.4 WAR
RKyle Leahy2.4 WAR
RMichael McGreevy1.3 WAR
LMatthew Liberatore1.0 WAR
RHunter Dobbins0.4 WAR
RGordon Graceffo0.2 WAR
RMatt Svanson0.0 WAR
Quinn MathewsNone WAR

Bullpen

★ RRiley O'Brien34 sv
RRyne Stanek24 h
RGeorge Soriano20 h
LJoJo Romero20 h
LJustin Bruihl10 h
RGordon Graceffo6 h
RMatt Svanson2 h
Luis Gastelum1 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 2025)

PlayerfWAR
JJ Wetherholt4.4
Dustin May2.6
Hunter Dobbins0.4
Justin Bruihl0.4
Everson Pereira0.3
Bruce Zimmermann0.1

Key subtractions (gone from 2025)

Player2025 fWAR
Sonny Gray3.6
Brendan Donovan2.8
Willson Contreras2.8
Steven Matz1.2
Phil Maton1.0
Nolan Arenado0.8

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Cardinals. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 2026; everyone else is shown as a 2026 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
JJ Wetherholt 2026 +5.1 +56.5 0.8 +55.8 $0.2M 1.38× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Jordan Walker 2026 +3.7 +53.1 0.8 +52.3 $0.2M 1.79× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Kyle Leahy 2026 +2.8 +43.5 0.8 +42.8 $0.3M 1.96× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Andre Pallante 2026 +2.8 +43.6 4.0 +39.6 $1.4M 1.96× Arbitration · 2026–2026 · $4.0M AAV
Dustin May↔ 2026 +3.0 +47.5 9.7 +37.8 $3.2M 1.96× Free Agent · 2026–2027 · $12.5M AAV
Masyn Winn 2026 +2.7 +25.7 0.8 +24.9 $0.3M 1.18× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Alec Burleson 2026 +3.3 +28.0 3.3 +24.7 $1.0M 1.07× Arbitration · 2026–2026 · $3.3M AAV
Michael McGreevy 2026 +1.6 +18.6 0.8 +17.8 $0.5M 1.49× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Iván Herrera 2026 +1.5 +12.2 0.8 +11.4 $0.5M 1.01× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Matthew Liberatore 2026 +1.2 +9.4 2.3 +7.2 $1.9M 1.02× Arbitration · 2026–2026 · $2.3M AAV
Riley O'Brien 2026 +0.6 +6.6 0.8 +5.8 $1.3M 1.34× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Hunter Dobbins 2026 +0.5 +4.0 0.0 +4.0 $0.0M 1.02× –
Everson Pereira↔ 2026 +0.3 +2.0 0.2 +1.8 $0.8M 0.83× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Justin Bruihl 2026 +0.4 +2.2 0.8 +1.4 $2.0M 0.67× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
José Fermín 2026 +0.3 +1.8 0.8 +1.0 $2.9M 0.83× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Pedro Pagés 2026 +0.4 +1.8 0.8 +1.0 $1.9M 0.52× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Nathan Church 2026 +0.2 +1.6 0.8 +0.9 $3.2M 0.83× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Ryan Fernandez 2026 +0.2 +1.2 0.6 +0.5 $2.8M 0.67× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Gordon Graceffo 2026 +0.2 +1.1 0.8 +0.4 $3.6M 0.67× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Lars Nootbaar↔ 2026 +0.6 +3.9 3.7 +0.2 $6.3M 0.83× Arbitration · 2026–2026 · $5.2M AAV
Peter Strzelecki 2026 -0.1 -0.4 0.0 -0.4 – 0.67× –
Jimmy Crooks 2026 +0.0 +0.0 0.5 -0.5 $43.7M 0.52× –
Jared Shuster 2026 -0.1 -0.5 0.1 -0.6 – 0.67× –
Matt Pushard 2026 +0.0 +0.2 0.8 -0.6 $21.5M 0.67× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Nelson Velázquez↔ 2026 -0.2 -1.1 0.4 -1.5 – 0.69× –
Yohel Pozo↔ 2026 -0.2 -1.2 0.5 -1.7 – 0.69× Free Agent · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
George Soriano 2026 -0.1 -1.1 0.8 -1.9 – 1.34× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
Victor Scott II 2026 -0.3 -2.1 0.3 -2.4 – 0.83× –
Chris Roycroft↔ 2026 -0.5 -2.6 0.0 -2.6 – 0.67× –
Caleb Ferguson↔ 2026 -0.3 -1.5 1.2 -2.7 – 0.67× Free Agent · 2026–2026 · $4.5M AAV
Thomas Saggese 2026 -0.3 -2.2 0.8 -2.9 – 0.83× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
César Prieto 2026 -0.5 -2.5 0.6 -3.2 – 0.58× Pre-arbitration · 2026–2026 · $0.8M AAV
JoJo Romero 2026 +0.1 +0.7 4.3 -3.5 $31.9M 0.67× Arbitration · 2026–2026 · $4.3M AAV
Ramón Urías 2026 -0.5 -2.3 1.5 -3.8 – 0.58× Free Agent · 2026–2027 · $2.0M AAV
Nolan Gorman 2026 -0.5 -2.3 2.7 -4.9 – 0.58× Arbitration · 2026–2026 · $2.7M AAV
Ryne Stanek 2026 -0.3 -3.3 3.5 -6.8 – 1.34× Free Agent · 2026–2027 · $3.5M AAV
Matt Svanson 2026 +0.0 +0.3 0.3 -0.0 $5.4M 0.67× –
Bruce Zimmermann 2026 +0.1 +0.6 – – – 0.67× –
Scott Blewett↔ 2026 +0.0 +0.0 – – – 0.67× –
Total—+27.7+343.051.7+291.3—

Trades

Every graded 2026 deal involving the Cardinals — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 12 total.

2026 · STL / TBR / SEA Feb 2, 2026
STL · Chaim Bloom +$1.6M
Colton Ledbetter, Jurrangelo Cijntje#71, Tai Peete, Draft pick (≈#70)
TBR · Erik Neander +$0.8M
Ben Williamson
SEA · Jerry Dipoto −$2.4M
Brendan Donovan
Too soon to call 3-teamunsettled
2026 · STL / MIL Aug 3, 2026
STL · Chaim Bloom +$1.6M
Alexander Frias#65, Josiah Ragsdale
MIL · Matt Arnold −$1.6M
Dustin May, JoJo Romero
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · TBR / STL Jul 17, 2026
TBR · Erik Neander +$0.0M
cash / PTBNL
STL · Chaim Bloom +$0.0M
Trey Pooser
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · STL / BAL Apr 7, 2026
STL · Chaim Bloom +$0.8M
Brayden Smith
BAL · Mike Elias −$0.8M
Nick Raquet
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · STL / BOS Apr 5, 2026
STL · Chaim Bloom +$0.0M
Patrick Galle
BOS · Craig Breslow +$0.0M
cash / PTBNL
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · STL / TBR Jun 23, 2026
STL · Chaim Bloom +$1.6M
cash / PTBNL
TBR · Erik Neander −$1.6M
Chris Roycroft
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · ARI / STL Aug 3, 2026
ARI · Mike Hazen +$0.0M
Lars Nootbaar
STL · Chaim Bloom +$0.0M
Sandro Santana, Daniel Eagen
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · CIN / STL Aug 3, 2026
CIN · Nick Krall +$1.6M
cash / PTBNL
STL · Chaim Bloom −$1.6M
Caleb Ferguson
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · STL / CLE Jan 6, 2026
STL · Chaim Bloom +$1.6M
Justin Bruihl
CLE · Chris Antonetti −$1.6M
cash / PTBNL
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · ARI / STL Jan 13, 2026
ARI · Mike Hazen +$8.0M
Nolan Arenado
STL · Chaim Bloom −$8.0M
Jack Martinez
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · OAK / STL Jul 26, 2026
OAK · David Forst +$2.4M
Scott Blewett
STL · Chaim Bloom −$2.4M
cash / PTBNL
Too soon to call unsettled
2026 · WSN / STL Feb 10, 2026
WSN · Paul Toboni +$0.8M
Andre Granillo
STL · Chaim Bloom −$0.8M
George Soriano
Too soon to call unsettled

Current & Historical Payroll

2026 payroll
$53.6M
luxury tax $52M
2027 guaranteed
$30.0M

What the front office was committed to as of 2026, 2026–2032. Guaranteed $ are contract commitments signed by 2026; arbitration & free-agent years are projected from service time. Hover a figure for its luxury-tax (CBT) & actual-cash values.

current $ guaranteed $ arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent club option player option mutual option vesting option

Summary — luxury-tax (CBT) basis

2026202720282029203020312032
Tax threshold$244M$247M$250M$253M$256M$259M$262M
Guaranteed contracts$18M$16M
Proj. arbitration$19M
Proj. pre-arbitration$14M$2M
Player benefits$18M$18M
Total CBT payroll$70M$36M
Tax space+$174M+$211M
Est. tax bill——

Luxury-tax (CBT) basis: contract AAV + ~$18M benefits/bonus-pool — distinct from the base-salary payroll above. Threshold is the CBA line. Tier-1 payor rates on the overage. Forward years show only guaranteed deals (arb/pre-arb not yet set). Figures are estimates.

Guaranteed / signed (4)

PlayerAgeSvc2026202720282029203020312032
Dustin May286.059$9.7M$20.0MMUTUALFREE AGENT
Ryne Stanek348.038$3.5M$6.0MCLUBFREE AGENT
Ramón Urías325.025$1.5M$4.0MMUTUALFREE AGENT
Caleb Ferguson297.093$1.2MFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (7)

PlayerAgeSvc2026202720282029203020312032
JoJo Romero295.045$4.3MFREE AGENT
Andre Pallante273.145$4.0MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Lars Nootbaar284.076$3.7MARB 3FREE AGENT
Alec Burleson273.029$3.3MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Nolan Gorman263.114$2.7MARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Nelson Velázquez273.031$409kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Peter Strzelecki313.003$4kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (28)

PlayerAgeSvc2026202720282029203020312032
Matthew Liberatore262.144$2.3MARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Justin Bruihl291.112$850kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Masyn Winn242.045$799kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jordan Walker242.044$799kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Iván Herrera262.034$799kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Pedro Pagés271.166$797kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kyle Leahy291.140$796kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Riley O'Brien311.129$795kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
George Soriano271.095$793kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
José Fermín271.075$792kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Michael McGreevy250.091$785kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Thomas Saggese240.144$783kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Nathan Church250.043$782kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
JJ Wetherholt23–$780k
Matt Pushard28–$780k
Gordon Graceffo260.091$755kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
César Prieto270.031$609kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ryan Fernandez281.090$606kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jimmy Crooks24–$505k
Yohel Pozo291.052$480kFREE AGENT
Victor Scott II252.000$326kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Matt Svanson270.116$256kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Everson Pereira250.090$227kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jared Shuster271.148$105kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Chris Roycroft290.150$18kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Hunter Dobbins260.152$4kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Scott Blewett301.102—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Bruce Zimmermann312.129—ARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT

Graphs

How each 2026 acquisition stacked onto Cardinals's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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